‘Bharat’ Fails to Recreate Ode to My Father’s Nuanced Melodrama

Is ‘Bharat’ a faithful adaptation?

Adding to the list of Bollywood film adaptions is Salman Khan’s new release Bharat. It is an official adaptation of the Korean film Ode To My Father, which was also a massive box office success.

I spent about 5 and a half hours in total watching Bharat and Ode to My Father, both of which are loaded with copious amounts of melodrama. Ode To My Father is intended to be a tearjerker and for most parts, it does succeed. I wouldn't exactly say that I loved the film, but the first half an hour had me completely invested in the characters.

Bharat, on the other hand, is a very confused film as it has to cater to Bhai’s fan following. So you have a circus sequence, many slo-mo shots of Salman walking, a romantic number in the desert etc. coupled with some patriotic fervour and sprinkling of melodrama. It seems like the script doesn’t want to head in a particular direction. It just wants to give you everything — ‘masala’ film hai na (it’s a ‘masala’ film after all).

The lead character of Ode to My Father, called Yoon Deok-soo, is not a hero; he doesn’t always save the day.

Hwang Jung-min, who plays the character of Yoon Deok-soo, makes him believable — he’s not this beefy man who can take on anything. Instead, he's vulnerable. But the aura of Salman Khan does not allow that as he always has to save the day. He may be 70-years-old, but he can still beat up a bunch of young boys with the agility of a 20-year-old.

A marked difference in the Korean film is, during an important sequence when the lead character is sent on a mining job and gets stuck in a cave, he narrowly escapes but is battered and bruised. The same scene, in Bharat, is recreated differently. We see Salman injured but still taking care of everyone and bringing them out. He also gets a massive round of applause when he comes out of the cave. Also, note how sanitised people look when they come out of that mine in Bharat. Just the right amount of dust and dirt.

Salman is invincible as always. There’s a scene where he asks for food for himself and his colleagues while working at a mine. He just goes up to the head officer and in broken English, puts his request across and voila! It’s done.

Bharat is largely based on the original film with very few deviations. There are quite a few scenes that are exactly the same as in the Korean film. The difference is that the makers of Bharat have chosen to stretch the scenes by adding comedy sequences or songs when not required. In the original, there is a physical examination for those interested in working for the mining company as labourers. It’s a quick scene, just to establish the fact that the protagonist is strong enough for the job.

But here, we have Sunil Grover, who plays Bharat’s best friend, in a cringe worthy sequence that involves his underwear flying away. It’s amazing how the writers pass this kind of stuff off as funny. There’s another scene where Sunil Grover tells Salman that Katrina’s character is not just a ‘bold’ woman but a ‘bold-dozer’ too. I’m all for bad jokes, but this one takes the cake.

Where Ode to My Father scores heavily is in the acting department. Hwang Jung-min is excellent in the lead role and so are the other actors in the ensemble which includes his mother and siblings. The initial scenes where the family’s life is torn apart because of the Hungnam evacuation of 1950 are some of the best in the film.

Even as he ages, you see his outlook towards life change from being naive to someone who cares about his family to someone who is now settled but still a little bitter. There’s a whole arc.

In Bharat, Salman Khan only changes himself physically, his idea of ageing is only limited to greying his hair. There's no real insight into his psyche over the years. It’s Salman in his usual avatar. Why should I care if he’s stuck in a cave or misses his dead father if he doesn't invest in his character?

The only character that is well-developed in Bharat is that of Katrina Kaif’s. She plays the role of Kumud Raina, an assertive and charming woman. Katrina does what she can with the poor writing in the script and those clunky Hindi dialogues which have become fodder for numerous memes.

Bharat is also like a Wikipedia entry about the various historical landmarks of India. It’s just mentioned in passing. The information doesn’t really give you an idea about that time period. They mention Raj Kapoor during the circus sequences, and SRK and Manmohan Singh’s images are flashed on screen to tell us that the 90s have arrived.

In the original Korean version, the protagonist is forced to join the Vietnam war to earn extra money, and you see the debilitating effects of the war. The setting lends itself to that time and era and creates that sense of helplessness.

So by the end of Bharat, I realised that Salman’s character had hopped from one profession to another with utmost ease. He went from a circus artist to working in a mine to being a merchant navy officer. The star overtaking the story is commonplace with these tentpole Bollywood films and Bharat is no different. Its main purpose is to tell us how amazing Salman is at everything, including giving us lessons in good behaviour. His character leaves his job at the circus by saying that he doesn't want young kids to initiate his stunts. That’s Salman telling us — love me but don’t copy me, okay?

Ode To My Father is also quite blatant in its patriotic fervour and the melodrama was just unending beyond a point. But if you enjoy a good weepie, this one’s for you.